The John Jay Homestead State Historic Site is located at 400 Jay Street in
Katonah, New York. The site preserves the 1787 home of
Founding Father and statesman
John Jay (1745–1829), one of the three authors of ''
The Federalist Papers'' and the first
Chief Justice of the United States. The property was designated a
National Historic Landmark in 1981 for its association with Jay. The house is open year-round for tours.
Description and history
The John Jay Homestead is located in a rural setting east of the village of Katonah, on the north side of Jay Street (
New York State Route 22). It is a -story gambrel-roofed brick building, with single-story gable-roofed wings to either side. The main facade is five bays wide, with sash windows arranged symmetrically around the centered entrance. The center bay is slightly wider than the others, and the entrance is topped by a four-light transom window. A shed-roof porch shelters the entire span of the first floor, wrapping around in open sections to secondary entrances in the side wings.
The home was constructed in two major phases, on of land that was part of a larger parcel that his maternal grandfather
Jacobus Van Cortlandt purchased from
Chief Katonah around 1700. John Jay made arrangements in February 1787 with brickmakers and carpenters for the first phase of construction, which was completed in 1790. The second phase, executed in 1800–01, included the extension of the main block to five bays and the addition of the wings (one replacing the first kitchen wing). Jay, whose long and illustrious career included the
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...
, drafting of New York's first state constitution,
Governor of New York
The governor of New York is the head of government of the U.S. state of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has ...
, and Chief Justice of both New York's Supreme Court and the
United States Supreme Court, spent his retirement years on this property.
The house remained in the Jay family until 1959, when it was given to
Westchester County, which turned it over to the state. The state undertook the reversal of some alterations made after Jay's ownership, and opened it as a historic site.
In 1977, the non-profit Friends of John Jay Homestead was founded to increase public awareness of the site. It raises funds and provides volunteer assistance for the Homestead's preservation, restoration and interpretation.
The house was declared a
National Historic Landmark in 1981.
[ and ]
File:John Jay (Gilbert Stuart portrait).jpg, ''John Jay'' (Gilbert Stuart
Gilbert Charles Stuart ( Stewart; December 3, 1755 – July 9, 1828) was an American painter from Rhode Island Colony who is widely considered one of America's foremost portraitists. His best-known work is an unfinished portrait of George Washi ...
portrait, 1794)
File:JohnJayHomestead HABS cropped.jpg, South perspective view in 1961 (HABS
The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...
)
Legacy
In 2004, the landmark, known as Bedford House, was added to the
African American Heritage Trail of Westchester County
The African American Heritage Trail of Westchester County
in New York was created in 2004 to help preserve and interpret the historic landmark places that help tell the narratives of women and men of African descent who have made significant contri ...
, a group of 13 sites which include the
Rye African-American Cemetery
The Rye African-American Cemetery, also known as the African Cemetery in Rye, is a historic 1.4 acre cemetery on North Street in Rye, New York. It was established as a burying ground for local African-Americans in 1860 through a donation of lan ...
,
Saint Paul's Church National Historic Site
Saint Paul's Church National Historic Site is a United States National Historic Site located in Mount Vernon, New York, just north of the New York City borough of The Bronx. The site was authorized in 1978 to protect Saint Paul's Church from ...
and the
Jay Estate in Rye.
See also
*
List of National Historic Landmarks in New York
This is a list of National Historic Landmarks and comparable other historic sites designated by the U.S. government in the U.S. state of New York. The United States National Historic Landmark (NHL) program operates under the auspices of the Nat ...
*
List of New York State Historic Sites
This is a list of New York (state) historic sites. It includes 40 state-designated historic sites and parks managed by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Twenty-two sites also are National Historic Landmarks ...
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in northern Westchester County, New York
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Jay, John, Homestead State Historic Site
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state)
National Historic Landmarks in New York (state)
National Register of Historic Places in Westchester County, New York
New York (state) historic sites
Historic house museums in Westchester County, New York
Biographical museums in New York (state)
Parks in Westchester County, New York
Farm museums in New York (state)
Historic American Buildings Survey in New York (state)
Jay family
Homes of United States Founding Fathers